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Ontario colleges and union still bargaining days after vote

Ontario colleges and the union representing their faculty remain at the bargaining table, days after a vote that saw more than two-thirds of teachers support strike action if no deal can be reached.

Several days of negotiations were set for this week and next, and on Wednesday members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union were at Queen’s Park to lobby MPPs.

JP Hornick, head of the union’s bargaining team, said the vote result sent “a really strong message” to the colleges. (Rick Madonik / Toronto Star)

Some 68 per cent of OPSEU members who cast ballots last week — roughly 60 per cent of full-time and “partial-load” instructors — were in favour of the job action if the colleges “(refuse) to budge on key issues,” the union said.

JP Hornick, head of the union’s bargaining team, said the vote result sent “a really strong message.” And while no strike date has been set, she accused the colleges of “stonewalling” negotiations.

The current contract expires at the end of the month, and the union is seeking a role for academic staff on a senate-like governing body — similar to what universities have, giving faculty a bigger say in how colleges are run — as well as more full-time positions.

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Sonia Del Missier, who heads the colleges’ bargaining team, warned the union’s proposals are “not the basis for settlement,” and would cost an additional $400 million each year and lead to thousands of job losses.

She said the colleges’ proposal contains no concessions, offers a lump-sum payment as well as improvements to benefits.

“We do have a good offer on the table,” she said in a phone interview. “We remain committed to achieving a negotiated settlement, one that is fair to faculty but, at the same time, affordable and responsible.”

Del Missier said any decision about creating a senate is outside of bargaining parameters. As well, the union’s current position on staffing ratios would bring 2,840 new full-time positions, but at a cost of 7,120 contract jobs.

Hornick said the move to more full-time jobs “is about creating stability in the system.”

The OPSEU union local represents 12,000 professors, as well as “partial load” instructors who teach up to 12 hours a week, among others.

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Of its 12,000 members, 7,500 are full-time, and 4,500 partial-load.

OPSEU does not represent part-time or sessional faculty, though a union drive is under way. When they are included, about 81 per cent of instructors are contract.

In 2011, colleges faced a strike by support workers, and in 2006 a lengthy job action by instructors.

College staff represented by OPSEU include:

Full-time college academic staff including permanent professors, instructors, counsellors and librarians. Their maximum salary is $107,000, but the average is closer to $90,000 a year.

Partial-load instructors who teach anywhere from seven to a maximum of 12 hours a week, and earn an average of $104 an hour for teaching. They are not paid for prep time, marking or for meeting with students outside of class. They are considered contract and reapply for their jobs every four months.

OPSEU is also hoping to soon represent:

Part-time faculty, who are on contract and teach less than six hours each week. They earn about $60 an hour, and are not paid for time spent preparing and marking. This group encompasses those who teach continuing education courses. They also must reapply for their jobs.

Sessional faculty, who are also considered contract faculty, with a 12-month maximum contract within a two-year time frame. They earn about $60 an hour, and can carry a full-time teaching load. They may also teach continuing education courses. They too reapply for their jobs.

While the union has warned that the college system is nearing its breaking point, the College Employer Council says 83 per cent of grads have landed jobs six months after earning their diploma, and colleges have high approval ratings from employers and students themselves.

The colleges also say their offer is comparable to that reached by OPSEU support staff.

Del Missier said that since 2010, colleges have created 1,000 new academic positions — about half of them full-time.

During Wednesday’s Question Period, NDP education critic Peggy Sattler said the province’s 24 colleges “have seen an alarming rise in precarious work,” something post-secondary minister Deb Matthews said the government recognizes is an issue.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Matthews noted that while the government is not at the table, “nobody wants a strike — I think everybody wants what’s in the best interest of students.”

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